Tier 3 restrictions are not strong enough to stop the spread of the new variant of coronavirus in England, Good Morning Britain has heard.
Resident expert Dr Sarah Jarvis spoke this morning as it was confirmed the Government is meeting today to discuss tough new measures.
That could see more areas placed into Tier 4 - where non-essential retail is shut and non-essential travel is banned, as early as tomorrow.
The Government is considering what tough new measures are needed to stop the spread of the new variant - with reports there could be a national lockdown as early as Boxing Day.
GMB hosts Alex Beresford and Charlotte Hawkins spoke to Dr Sarah, reports The Mirror.
The new strain, which began in the South East, has now spread across the country and the UK saw its highest daily increase in cases on Monday with 33,364, and 190,000 new cases in the last week.
Dr Sarah explained if the R-rate is anything above 1, case numbers are going up, and NERVTAG [New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group] said the increase could be anything from 0.4 to 0.9, even with Tier 3 restrictions in place.
She said that with the 'old variant' of Covid Tier Three 'really was making a difference' and was bringing the R number down.
But she said that isn't the case with the new variant.
Dr Sarah explained the worrying figure that one in five children were off school towards the end of last term and therefore missing out on their education.
* Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
